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home > education > wachapreague

Coastal Ecosystems Field Course
13-17 July, 2009
VIMS Eastern Shore Lab
Wachapreague, VA

Since 2001, Virginia Sea Grant Extension Program educators have led classroom science teachers in explorations of the diverse habitats of Virginia's Eastern Shore and its barrier islands. The home base for these learning adventures is an active coastal research facility, the VIMS Eastern Shore Lab in Wachapreague, VA. This year, we are again offering science teachers this field-intensive, sun-up to sun-down survey of the coastal ecosystems characteristic of the Mid-Atlantic region.

Learning from scientists, Virginia Sea Grant educators, and fellow teachers, participants will receive: Virginia SOL-relevant content in marine biology, chemistry, physics, earth and ocean sciences, and technology; teaching resources for the classroom and field; and a meaningful outdoor educational experience that they will be able to draw instructional content from for years to come. Using high-tech and low-tech methods, teachers will sample the ecosystems with various types of oceanographic equipment, including:

Participants will investigate the various habitats of the Wachapreague area, including:

Click here for a map of the field sites!

Participants are also able to explore the coastal community of Wachapreage, the Little City by the Sea, which includes a successful working waterfront.

Target Audience

This course is for educators who:

• Teach middle and/or high school science OR are non-formal educators who focus on earth, environmental, marine, or biological sciences
  • Note: Educators in other fields and grade levels may be selected if their application demonstrates strong integration of course concepts into existing teaching assignments
• Enjoy, or are willing to endure, early mornings and long hours in the field under the typical summer weather and insect conditions of coastal Virginia
• Will maintain virtual communications throughout the school year for the purposes of collegial sharing and course evaluation
• Have a basic understanding of coastal biology and ecology
• Are comfortable using basic computer and Internet-based applications and communications (e.g. Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer/Firefox, email)

Particpant Requirements

Participants will be expected to:

• Fully participate in the five day residential program
• With their students in the appropriate classes, conduct and assess two lessons or activities using content and resources from the workshop during the 2008-09 school year
• Complete follow-up questionnaires regarding their implementation of content and activities from the workshop (we anticipate no more than two online surveys during the 2008-09 school year)
• Post feedback on the implementation of lesson plans, and participate in online group discussions

Agenda

This sample agenda (pdf) is meant to provide a basic outline for the five day course. It is subject to change.

Lodging
Lodging is available at the Eastern Shore Lab's dormitory and is included in tuition. It is a large older house that has been renovated for group living. The second story consists of two large bunkrooms, each with its own bathroom. Additional bunkrooms and bathroom facilities (including handicapped accessible facility) are available on the first floor. The dorm also includes a large kitchen and dining area, small den with satellite tv and a picnic area with gas grills.

Hotel accomodations are also available, at the participant's cost, approximately 20 minutes from the Lab.

Tuition
The cost of this program will be $100, payable after applicants are notified of acceptance in the workshop. We are currently seeking program suport which would lower the participant cost.

Recertification
While graduate credit is not available for this course, participants will earn approximately 32 Professional Development Activity points towards recertification, subject to advance approval from their school.

2009 Save-the-Date brochure (pdf)

2009 Course Application

If you have any questions not answered by this page, or have a problem with the online course application, please contact Chris Petrone, Virginia Sea Grant Marine Education Specialist.

Publications

Clark, V., C. Hopper Brill, and C. Petrone. 2008. Two Boats, Three Summers, Five Universities, One Dozen Instructors, and Sixty-Five Teachers: A Collaborative Oceanography Field Program for Earth Science. The Journal Of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations. Vol 10: 43-53.

Below are just a few of the activities we conduct as a part of the Field Course.

Beach Profiling Activity

As a part of the workshop, teachers take part in an extensive beach profiling activity that can be inexpensively replicated with their students on any terrain. For the project, teachers will profile Cedar Island, one of Virginia's nearly-uninhabited barrier islands, which lies due east of the town of Wachapreague.

Back in the lab, teachers will graph the data and add captions to their beach profiles detailing the changes in flora and fauna observed over the transect.

2006 Cedar Island Profile

Activity Handout (MS Word)

New Views on Sand

Compare and contrast sand from across the nation and globe, virtually! This activity combines demonstration and hands-on lab stations, offering ideas for using both real and virtual sands to illustrate: diverse origins and composition of sand grains; rock cycle processes of erosion and deposition; coastal processes, like the effects of wave action on sand size, movement, and beach development; and the importance of sand and beaches to marine life and people.

Bridge Data Analysis Teaching Activities (DATAs)

Participants will be introduced to the Bridge website and the wealth of resources it contains, including over 60 classroom-ready activities that use real scientific data.

Real-Time Observing of Wachapreague Conditions

Participants will learn how to monitor conditions and water quality of their favorite Wachapreague field sites right from their classrooms using ocean observing systems.

GPS Scavenger Hunt

Educators will learn about Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and how to use it with their students. Using our collection of GPS units and some provided waypoints, participants will explore the town of Wachapreague; all the while learning about the town's history and seeing the local sites. Be sure to bring your camera!